Dean and Brittany exchanged nervous glances, but without daring to challenge Leon, they walked down to the center of the court. Still on her knees, the former principal looked at them with a mixture of despair and restrained anger.
Leon walked around them, his footsteps echoing in the tense silence of the gym. He looked straight into
Dean and Brittany's eyes, staring at each of them like a predator analyzing its prey.
"Well, look at that. Look at those little faces. Such different expressions! I could have sworn that less than a few minutes ago, they were laughing at me. Laughing, actually."Brittany wasn't looking at Leon. Dean, on the other hand, stared at him seriously.
"Not just in the last few minutes, but in the last few years too," he continued. "Not only did you beat me up and steal my money, but you also encouraged others to disturb me too. And you pretended to be my friend, you pretended to love me, but you stabbed me in the back when you had the chance."
Leon stopped in front of Dean, fixing his penetrating gaze on the boy. Brittany kept her head down, visibly uncomfortable.
"I'm a man of principle, Dean," said Leon, his serious tone cutting through the silence. "And I believe that people can change, can redeem themselves. So here's your chance."
Leon stepped back a little, speaking without the microphone close to his lips this time.
"You two are now part of this new order. An order that values merit, not cruelty. If you want to stay here, you'll have to follow the rules. No bullying, no humiliation."Brittany swallowed, while Dean nodded and, to her surprise, smiled:
"Really? Now that you're rich, you think you're better than me? Or that you have any real power here?"
Leon's expression was impassive.
"You've been my favorite target for three years, man. Do you think that's going to change now that you're no longer a miserable sod who got in because of quotas? You think that's going to change the fact that you were born in the gutter?"
Dean took a step forward, aggressive and willing to physically hurt. Juan took a step forward, but stopped when he saw the look on his son's face. Then Leon asked:
"Is that all you have to say?"
"No. That's not all I have to say. Your girlfriend always gossiped terribly about you. Remember the rumors that you had a horrible, contagious disease? She started it. She was also the one who spread the word that your father was a drug dealer, that your grandparents smelled of garbage, and also-"
Brittany interrupted him:
"Dean, that's enough."
"Really? Your creep of an ex-boyfriend thinks he's in charge here, in charge of this school, and you're just going to stand there? You're not going to put him in his place?"
The girl cringed even more:
"Don't make it any worse."
Dean laughed scornfully.
"You're going to side with that loser? Just because he's got a little extra money now?"
She stared at him with dread in her eyes, but not for Dean, but for Leon.
"The principal of the school is on her knees in her own damn gymnasium because he wanted her to! You heard what he said. Keep quiet and stop making things worse."
"You're a weakling just like him, that's what you are."
"I take it you're done arguing," Leon finally said.
Before Dean could respond and hurl more insults, the boy turned back to the stands and spoke into the microphone:
"I tried to be merciful. It obviously didn't work. So here's what I'll do."
Everyone was apprehensive. Leon stared at Dean:"I think you'll be happy, Dean, to know that I won't be expelling you from school, unlike Mrs. Parker. However, your father wasn't very happy when I bought most of the shares in his company."
The bully became enraged:
"What did you say?"
"What didn't you understand? Your father isn't as rich as he used to be. He works for me now, in fact, since I own most of the assets."
"He would never do that, you lying bastard."
"No? Why don't you call him later today and ask for more details, then?"
Dean was incredulous, his expression of defiance now replaced by a mixture of anger and disbelief. Leon continued, looking straight into the boy's eyes:
"You see, Dean, you're no longer the only one who likes to play with power. I learned very quickly how this game is played. Your father chose the winning side, and now he's on my side."
The gym was enveloped in a stunned silence. All eyes were on Leon, and Dean realized that his position was crumbling before his eyes.
"Don't think you can threaten me, Alvarez," he growled, but the confidence in his voice had diminished considerably.
"It's not a threat. It's a fact. Your father works for me, and by extension, so do you. You're about to turn eighteen, aren't you? You were going to be given a brilliant position, working alongside your father as deputy head. Now you're my employee. And I think you'd better be competent. I don't have time to waste on useless people."
The fury on Dean's face was one of the most satisfying expressions Leon had ever seen.
Then he turned to his ex-girlfriend.
"And now, my dear, I'm going to tell you what I have in store for you."
Brittany looked up, her eyes meeting those of Leon. Real fear was present on her face.As he stared at her, Leon remembered the tender kisses they had shared, the nights they had spent together, the promises they had both made to each other. The love story they had, or at least the boy thought it was one."You liked to spread rumors and create lies about me, didn't you, Brittany?" said Leon, keeping his cool."You always acted like a snake, poisoning my existence without me even noticing your tyranny. Now, the consequences of your actions are knocking at your door."He approached her, and Brittany swallowed nervously."Dean is now my employee. You, on the other hand, will not have this enormous privilege. For you, I've chosen something particularly terrible."With a flourish, Leon pulled out a brown paper envelope from inside his jacket."Open it," he ordered, holding it out to the girl.Pursing her lips to prevent them from quivering with nervousness, the girl hesitantly obeyed. Her
A week had passed.Sitting in the velvet armchair in the huge room was Leon, celebrating his eighteenth birthday. In his hand was an almost empty glass of cognac.In front of him, looking down and waiting for further orders, was Brittany.Swirling the contents around in his glass, the man looked up at her."You look awful in that uniform."Almost imperceptibly, Brittany winced, accepting the insult. Leon continued:"I like it. I like seeing you like that."She wisely said nothing.Leon savored every moment of the power he emanated over Brittany. The shadows of the huge luxury room danced in the dim candlelight, creating an eerie atmosphere."You should be thankful you're still here," Leon teased, letting a cruel smile play on his lips. "You're standing in front of the most powerful man you've ever met."Total and complete silence."I must confess, I expected more resistance from you," the boy continued, amused by her obvious discomfort. "But of course, you were always weaker than you
Two days after the incident with Brittany, Leon felt something change in the world.A kind of strangeness took hold of his heart; what many would call an ill-feeling.He no longer believed in such things, however. After all, the boy had seen with his own eyes that nonsense like that meant nothing. Money was the only thing that mattered.But the strange feeling didn't go away when, discreetly and subtly, his ex-girlfriend and now servant handed him a letter."You've only just arrived, sir," she murmured, looking down.Without even glancing at her, Leon tore open the envelope and read the contents of the letter."Dismissed, Brittany."The girl went off to find something to do while the man continued to read the invitation.For that was what the letter contained: a formal request for him to attend a business event of a company that rivaled him in financial terms.A trap? Or a desperate way to make them prosper as much as his own company?Leon stood up. Those old bastards might like thing
Turning around, Leon swallowed as he saw a tall woman, a little older than him, with her brown hair up in a bun and wearing dress clothes.She was serious, and the thin rimmed glasses she wore made her gaze seem even more penetrating.After getting close enough not to be heard by others, the woman crossed her arms and raised her chin."Leon, we need to talk."Leon arched an eyebrow, maintaining his defiant countenance. "Talk? You should have thought of that before you humiliated me in that room. Where were you while those old men were laughing at me?"The woman let out a restrained laugh, as if amused by the situation. "Humiliation? Oh dear, you haven't seen anything yet. The real humiliation has only just begun."Leon felt anger bubbling up inside him, but he kept his composure. The boy clenched his fists, but tried to keep his voice neutral:"Who do you think you are to talk to me like that?"She ignored the question, looking him up and down with disdain. Then she began to circle
It's useless to resist.Despite the real hatred taking over his emotions, Leon knows it's pointless trying to resist armed men. He raises his hands in surrender and doesn't notice when one of the hooded men comes up behind him and shoots him hard in the head.Darkness.When he wakes up, the boy is naked except for his underwear, and his skin burns as if someone had scratched him several times. His eyes blink, looking for a spot of light or any information that might lead him to understand what the hell was going on.Leon's vision gradually begins to clear, revealing a dark and damp environment. He is tied to an uncomfortable chair, and the smell of mold dominates the place. As he looks around, he realizes that he is in a kind of abandoned basement, with damp stone walls and cobwebs scattered around the corners.His body aches and every movement is agony. His hands tied behind his back, Leon tries to understand what has happened. He hears muffled voices, murmurs echoing around the roo
Leon's body burns with pain as the whip continues to punish him. He grits his teeth, resisting the urge to scream. Sasha watches the scene coolly, as if assessing the boy's resistance."You can avoid further suffering, you know. It's not like I'm sadistic or anything. All you have to do is accept reality and make the right choice," says Sasha, as the whip continues to cut through the air.However, even as she says it, the boy knows: she is loving every second of his suffering.Leon, despite his pain and anger, begins to ponder her words. A choice hangs over him, a choice that could shape the fate of the city and, perhaps, his own trajectory."What do you want from me, Sasha?" he asks, trying to keep his voice steady.Sasha gestures for the foreman to stop for a moment. Pain throbs in Leon's wounds as he waits for the answer."I want you to be my key player in this game. Help me with the plan I have. Others besides you have already agreed. But... They're old and not very agile. You're
Leon stares at the metal case with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension. The pain in his body seems momentarily forgotten as the promise of answers and justice is about to be revealed. He hesitates for a moment, feeling saliva run down his throat. Sweat collects on his forehead."Ready," he mutters in a hoarse voice, his gaze steady despite the vulnerability of his situation.The suitcase opens, revealing photographs, documents and a sealed envelope. Sasha watches with a satisfied smile as Leon examines the materials carefully. The images show faces, places and events that seem to fit the narrative she has constructed. Proof of the guilt of the person who ruined her life.Leon just blinks, the only sign of surprise he lets show.Then, before he can see any further, the woman closes and locks the case. She had barely had seconds to analyze everything."If you want to carry on investigating, kid, then you'll cooperate with me."In a string of voices, he asks:"How did you know that
A week had passed.A whole week, and his father hadn't shown up with a security team or police tactical forces to rescue him.Sitting at one of the tables in the cafeteria of this place, whatever it was, since Leon didn't know where Sasha's headquarters were located, the boy sharpened a dagger.Training with melee weapons would begin in a few minutes.Still silent and unwilling to talk, Leon observed his surroundings.The others.Unlike the cruel foremen willing to hurt them whenever they looked like they were about to become a problem, the... "agents", as Sasha called them, were much younger and more likely to cooperate with each other.They ranged in age from eighteen to twenty-six, and the majority were male. The few women who took part were withdrawn, although Leon was sure that one or two stared at him when they were training.Everyone there had a story and a goal, although Leon didn't know exactly why each one was there, obeying the orders of that crazy, ornery woman who kept th